The invention relates to a thread storage and delivery device for textile machines, comprising a housing, a thread supply device with a thread channel, which thread supply device is supported rotatably in the housing and can be driven for rotation, a rotatably supported overhung drum axle, a storage drum, and a gearing arrangement with at least one driven wheel which can be driven by means of a carrier pin carried by the thread supply device and which rolls along a housing-fixed rolling path, whereby the gearing arrangement couples the storage drum to the thread supply device in such a manner that the storage drum stands still with respect to the housing as the thread supply device is rotatably driven.
Such a thread storage and delivery device is known. It has a drum axle which is supported in the housing at its end which is remote from the drum, and which can be rotatably driven through a drive wheel supported on the axle by means of a pin coupling. Furthermore, the axle has spaced from its end an angled hollow arm. The axle is also hollow between its end which is remote from the drum and the arm. This results in a double bend in the thread channel. By rotating the drum axle, the thread which exits at the co-rotating arm is wound onto the drum. The gearing arrangement, which takes care of the standstill of the storage drum, has two planetary gears and two internal ring gears on which said planetary gears roll. One internal gear is arranged inside the storage drum on its winding-up end. The second internal gear, with the same diameter, is supported fixedly in the housing. The planetary gears are connected by a carrier pin, which in turn is supported in an arm which projects from the drum axle and rotates with same. When the drum axle rotates, the planetary gears are carried along, and the planetary gear which runs on the toothed rim of the drum exerts a rotary impulse (i.e., angular moment) onto the drum, which rotary impulse is just as great as and oppositely directed to the rotary impulse which is applied to the drum from the bearings located between the drum axle and the drum. The two rotary impulses cancel one another, whereby the drum is maintained stationary in spite of the rotation of the drum axle relative to the housing. In this known device, this effect is achieved by expensive bearing arrangements between the drum axle and the storage drum, and by the necessity of having to deliver the thread co-axially through the drum, namely through the hollow drum axle, and then guide it until its exit from the double bent thread channel. The threading of the device is thus complicated and time consuming due to the deflections of the thread, which is of great importance due to the large number of devices on a textile machine. Furthermore, the thread is stressed by friction.
The purpose of this invention is to produce a device of the above described type, in which a gearing arrangement prevents rotation of the storage drum, and in which a substantially friction free thread delivery is made possible with simple means.
The purpose is attained inventively by the gearing arrangement engaging the drum axle which is connected fixedly to the storage drum and is supported rotatably on the thread supply device, and by the thread channel being arranged conventionally at a radial distance from the drum axle and being substantially rectilinear.
The inventive device is economical in manufacture and design. The storage drum is constructed only to perform its winding task, without an additional gearing member, and the drum axle is constructed massively as a throughgoing shaft without projecting arms. Furthermore, the axle can be connected to a gearing arrangement with simple means and the axle is better suited, more so than the sensitive drum, to absorb the stresses caused by the oppositely directed rotary impulses. An important advantage of the arrangement consists in the thread being able to be guided without deflection toward the rectilinear thread channel and in it. This makes threading easy and quick, and the thread is less stressed during processing.
A drive wheel can be fixedly connected to the driven wheel and can be coupled through a driving belt to a belt pulley which is arranged fixed with respect to rotation on the drum axle and is rotatably supported concentrically of the thread supply device, whereby the diameters of the drive wheel and the belt pulley have a relationship (ratio) to one another which is the same as the relationship (ratio) between the diameter of the driven wheel and the diameter of the rolling path. The drum axle and thus the drum are supported in an overhung manner on the thread supply device without any other connection to the housing. One single pivot bearing is needed between thread supply device and drum axle. The structure is thus particularly simple and inexpensive, which means a considerable savings because of the large number of thread storage and delivery devices needed for a textile machine.
In a simple manner it is possible to provide an additional support for the carrier pin in the form of an outer support arranged co-rotatingly on the thread supply device, which outer support is spaced from the axis of the thread supply device such that the gearing is arranged between the thread supply device and the outer bearing therefor.